Compare Austria Exclusive by Kensington Tours vs Christmas Markets of Austria & Bavaria - Classic Group, Winter 2022 2023 by Insight Vacations

Day 1: Vienna

A welcome package with a city map, train tickets (if relevant), and any other touristic information that we deem you may find useful will be waiting for you upon your arrival at your first hotel on your trip.

On arrival into Vienna airport, you will be met by your driver and private vehicle.  For your added comfort, your English speaking driver will help you to check in to your hotel on arrival, and walk you through the welcome package documents, your itinerary and answer your questions.  Early check in can not be guaranteed unless an additional night is paid for, but if the hotel has rooms available, they will do their best to accommodate everyone.

Day 2: Vienna

Accommodation: Sacher Vienna Deluxe Room

See the Signature Sights in Style

Acquaint yourself with Vienna's culture as you stroll through the old city on this private guided walking tour, following in the footsteps of the famous Empress Elisabeth - 'Sisi' of Austria. You will start the walk with a visit to the Imperial Crypt, the burial place of the Habsburgs, where Empress Elizabeth - 'Sisi' of Austria. End the tour with a private horse-carriage ride which takes you around the famous Ringstrasse for about 40 minutes.

Enjoy a tour of the fine art museum with a private guide. The immense Kunsthistorisches Museum stands alongside the Louvre, Metropolitan Museum of Art and the British Museum as one of the great comprehensive collcetions of art in the world. Largely a product of Habsburg imperial ambitions, the collection features over seven millennia´s of art objects, from ancient Egypt to 20th century Viennese Secession. Your visit is designed as an overview on the Kunst, with time spent in several of the major collections. One particular focus will be the picture gallery featuring a major collection of 16th and 17th century paintings from Venice, the Netherlands and Germany and such masters as Titian, Vermeer, van Eyck and Durer. At the end of this tour you´ll emerge with a deeper understanding of this museum´s collection and its role in the centuries long rule of the Habsburgs.

Day 3: Vienna

Accommodation: Sacher Vienna Deluxe Room

Explore Vienna’s vibrant food scene on a half day walking tour with your private guide. The city’s markets play an important role in its culinary and social life. Vienna’s best-known market, the Naschmarkt, features approximately 120 market stands and restaurants offering a wide selection of international fare. The market has developed into a meeting point for all generations where lively crowds buy produce and delicacies from all over the world, from dawn to dusk. During your tour you will get an opportunity to sample various local culinary delights. Stop by a traditional Würstelstand (sausage stand) and indulge on a selection of sausages and perhaps taste several typical Austrian wines.

As you stroll through Vienna in pursuit of new culinary discoveries, your guide will tell you interesting anecdotes about famous Viennese personalities and their favorite dishes. Note that no food tour of this city would be complete without a coffee and a cake. The Viennese coffee houses are known around the globe for their informal pleasantness and gemütlichkeit (friendliness and good cheer). In fact, the traditional Viennese coffee house culture has been added by UNESCO to the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. To finish off your tour in style, get cozy at one of Vienna’s characterful coffee houses, sip on aromatic coffee and satisfy your cravings as you munch on delicious cake.

Day 4: Vienna

Accommodation: Sacher Vienna Deluxe Room

Taste and Tipple on a Vineyard Visit

After meeting your guide, you will be whisked away via private vehicle to the first tasting at Weingut Wieninger in Stammersdorf. During the ride to the winery, you will learn the rich history of wine in this region. Wieningers winery is a family run business with a reputation as one of the best in Vienna. You will view the transformation of an old monastery cellar into a modern facility to produce a variety of wines. After touring the facilities, the guide will conduct a tasting of 6 to 8 wines, explaining the growing and production process and taking you through the basic characteristics of Austrian wine. You will then drive to the Mayer am Pfarrplatz, which is a Heuriger. The Heurigen are traditional wine taverns characteristic of the region and serve only their own food and wine. Here you will taste another 6 wines and get to enjoy dinner, traditional meats, and cheeses. You will also have a chance to drive to the nearby vineyards. At the end of the tour, you will come away with a strong sense of Vienna's viticulture and its role in the gastronomic history of Austria.

Day 5: Vienna To Salzburg

Accommodation: Sacher Vienna Deluxe Room

A Dazzling Drive

This morning you will meet your private driver guide and leave Vienna heading to Salzburg via Danube Valley. On the way, you will discover and experience the charm of the world-renowned cultural landscape of Danube Valley. The tour will begin at the charming small city of Krems and Dürnstein with its mix of medieval flair, baroque fashion. Continue along the Danube Valley, stopping at Emmersdorf an der Donau, where you will enjoy a 3-course-lunch with wine in a traditional local restaurant near the Danube. On the last stop before reaching Salzburg, you will pay a visit to Melk Abbey, a grand Benedictine monastery high above the town of Melk. Arrive in Salzburg late afternoon.

Day 6: Salzburg

Accommodation: Sacher Vienna Deluxe Room

Strolling the Magical Streets

Discover the wonders of Salzburg during a half day private tour of the city. Salzburg, known as the town of Mozart, features historical buildings and impressive architectural attributes. The city is the birthplace and hometown of Wolfgang Mozart, and some say that you can still hear the tones of the musical 'The Magical Flute' and the 'Sound of Music' from they alleyways and historic walls. Your professional guide will provide with insight into the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque features of the city as Mozart saw it. You will end the tour with a visit to the newly reopened Mozart Residence on Makart Square. Before Mozart moved in, the lodging was inhabited by a dancing master that educated youngsters on how to dance and behave. The residence was formerly referred to as “the dancing master’s house” (Tanzmeisterhause). Here, you will have the opportunity to see an informative multi-media show.

A unique combination of culinary and musical delights awaits you in the world-famous Hohensalzburg Fortress, high above the city’s rooftops. Enjoy an exquisite menu before the concert in the historic premises of the Restaurant zur Festung Hohensalzburg. Afterwards, you treated to an unforgettable performance in the Golden Hall or Castle Hall with the most beloved works of the greats, from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to Strauss. Dinner and Salzburg Fortress concert, funicular ride (up & down) are included. Drinks are excluded.

Day 7: Salzburg

Accommodation: Sacher Vienna Deluxe Room

Breathe the Mountain Air

Meet your driver guide for a 5-hour scenic tour of the Bavarian Alps. On your tour, in the Bavarian Alps above the Obersalzberg stands the former mountain residence of Hitler. It offers magnificent views of the snowcapped peaks of the surrounding mountains. Passing the Castle Hellbrunn, through Anif you will arrive at the German border. Driving along the Königseeache, through the lovely valley and picturesque farmland to Unterau and start your ascent to the Obersalzberg. Here you will stop to see what is left of Hitler's mountain compound and enjoy the wonderful panorama. Due to weather conditions, visits to the Eagle's Nest are possible from approximately mid-May to mid-October.

A specially-equipped bus and elevator bring you up to the site. The adventurous ride along the steep rock walls and deep gorges takes about 20 minutes. During the journey you will have a splendid view up to the 'Hoher Goell' and across the snowcapped peaks of the Bavarian mountains. Your experience also includes a visit to the Obersalzberg Documentation Center. Your tour concludes when you are privately transferred back to your accommodation. 

Day 8: Salzburg

Jet Off

Meet your driver for a private airport transfer.

Day 1: Welcome to Vienna

At Vienna airport, transfers for your hotel leave at 10:00, 13:00 and 15:30. Meet your Travel Director at 18:00 and travel to a local restaurant for your Welcome Dinner. Enjoy the opportunity to mingle with fellow guests over a delightful meal and wine.

Hilton Vienna Park.

Dinner with Wine

Day 2: Vienna sightseeing

At this time of year, the Austrian capital is a place of nostalgia and romance, with concerts, nativity displays and many official Advent Markets selling a vast array of seasonal gifts and mouth-watering treats. Explore Vienna with Insight Choice. Tour Schönbrunn Palace and marvel at its frescoed ceilings, crystal chandeliers and gilded ornaments. Alternatively, join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience during an inclusive workshop and take to the floor in a Viennese Waltz dance workshop designed to support the visually impaired community. Then ready your camera for a dazzling drive around the famous Ring Road. This grand boulevard is built along the lines of the old city walls and showcases many of the capital’s architectural masterpieces, including the Opera House and Hofburg Imperial Residence. You also see the City Hall and its surrounding parklands, festively decorated in a sea of lights – the perfect setting for the Viennese Christmas Market.

Hilton Vienna Park.

Breakfast

Day 3: To Enchanting Salzburg Relaxed Start

Journey through the rich farmlands of eastern Austria towards the lakes and mountains of the Salzkammergut and the enchanting city of Salzburg.

ARCOTEL Castellani, Salzburg.

Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Day 4: The City of Mozart Relaxed Start

Come December, the spires and domes of Salzburg’s old town are often draped in snow. Walk with your Local Expert to see Mozart’s family home on the Getreidegasse, beautifully decorated at this time of year. Visit Mozart's birthplace to learn more about his life, and sit down to a musical demonstration on his original pianoforte. Then head on to the rosy hues of the 500-year-old Christmas Market in front of the cathedral. Culinary delicacies, candied fruits, hot mulled wine and the lovingly decorated stalls invite visitors to stop and browse. Here your Travel Director will introduce you to a market stallholder to enjoy sampling a Viennese winter dessert, complemented perfectly with a traditional fragrant glass of Glühwein.

ARCOTEL Castellani, Salzburg.

Breakfast

Day 5: A scenic drive to Innsbruck Relaxed Start

A lovely drive brings you to the Inn Valley and the mountain-ringed Tyrolean capital of Innsbruck. Explore Innsbruck with Insight Choice, perhaps join a horse & carriage ride or visit the magical world of Swarovski Crystal. In the evening, enjoy a traditional meal accompanied by local Tyrolean entertainment and music.

AC Hotel Innsbruck.

Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Day 6: Neuschwanstein and Oberammergau

Travel to the fairy-tale castle of Neuschwanstein, perched on a spectacular Alpine mountainside. With a Local Expert, visit the exuberantly decorated apartments, including the Throne Room, before continuing into the beautiful scenery of the German Alps to visit Oberammergau, home of the Passion Play since 1634. See the immense theatre and admire the colourful painted chalets before driving on to the Bavarian capital of Munich. Please note: Neuschwanstein Castle visits require a good level of mobility due to the number of stairs in the building and uphill, on-foot access to the castle during winter. Those who do not wish to ascend to the castle can enjoy a coffee and cake, while admiring the beautiful castle vista.

Munich Marriott Hotel.

Breakfast

Day 7: Munich Relaxed Start

Enjoy an orientation of the city which concludes in Marienplatz beside the soaring Town Hall, famous for its Glockenspiel. Beneath the gigantic Christmas tree, Munich’s traditional Christmas Market is an entrancing festival of light and music. In the evening, join your travelling companions at a local restaurant for a festive Celebration Dinner with wine and good cheer!

Munich Marriott Hotel.

Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Day 8: Auf Wiedersehen Munich!

Your departure transfer arrives at Munich Airport at 07:00 and 09:00.

Breakfast